Compounds which affect the behaviour of the honeybee, Apis mellifera L.: A review

Compounds which affect the behaviour of the honeybee, Apis mellifera L.: A review

Author(s)

K J Melksham , N Jacobsen And J Rhodes

Abstract

Honeybees are very useful insects which are liable to be killed or injured by pesticides. Because the behavioural properties of pesticide formulations can influence the hazard of the formulations in the field, we have been trying to devise a compound to be added to pesticide formulations to repel bees from sprayed areas. Compounds reputed to influence bee behaviour, how such compounds worked, and what structural characteristics they had in common were reviewed with the intention of incorporating any common feature into molecules to be tested as bee repellents. Since the mode of action of repellents is unknown, compounds considered in this review were those reported to affect senses involved in foraging, i.e. the visual, olfactory, gustarory and possibly the common chemical sense of the bee.